UPDATE from Louise: As you may have noticed from recent social media posts, I have begun adding gluten-free items to our regular menu. This may seem strange given the bakery motto, Glutenus Maximus. Well, during our winter break, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that responds negatively to gluten. This makes me incredibly sad because I am a lover of all things baked with wheat flour, be they croissants or sourdough.  

 

I’m still coming to terms with my new gluten-free life. Rather than spiral into an abyss of wheat-less self-pity, I have set myself a challenge: Learn how to bake gluten-free treats that actually taste good—not like overly sweetened cardboard. I will be sharing my successes with you throughout the season. 

 

What about the bakery? The future remains unclear. Can I breathe in wheat flour all day, every day, from now through December? How will it affect me? Only time will tell. 

 

I do know that our extraordinary team will be back this year and will take on greater responsibilities. The biggest change involves Harriet’s role. She has been with us since we opened five years ago and is interested in possibly running the bakery herself. She will begin by training to take over Andrew’s position as baguette baker. 

 

We will see how things go this summer but, at this point, it looks as if this might be my last season as primary baker and owner. My new personal motto: Glutenus Minimus. 

 

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

When our family moved to the Eastern Shore from San Francisco in 2002, we fell in love with the bucolic lifestyle. But we missed one particular aspect of our old life: good bread.

 

So I started to bake my own. I've always been passionate about baking, but I really started to get serious. I read bread books, bread blogs, anything I could get my hands on. I baked. And I baked. I learned how to capture wild yeast and turn it into a starter (affectionately known as “mother”). Eighteen years later, here I am—with the help of my family—baking a variety of breads and a bunch of other treats. What began as a project to satisfy my family launched into a small business.

 

For eight years I sold my breads at different farmers' markets. Like my "mother," my business kept growing. Our large farmhouse kitchen couldn't sustain the growth (and quite frankly, neither could I). I had a decision to make: Stop baking and save the sanity of my family and me, or move out. I couldn't stand the thought of saying goodbye to all my great customers. Not bake? Painful to think about. So when I was approached about setting up shop in Cape Charles, I jumped. Maybe I'm crazy to open a bakery in a small town, but I'm up for the challenge. I hope you are ready to join me in this next step. 

 

—Louise